Srinagar: In order to replace the “outdate and ageing” 9mm British Sterling 1A1 sub machine guns that are in service, Indian army is all set to get its hands on new close quarter battle (CQB) carbines, manufactured by a UAE firm. However, the proposal has not been finalised yet.
Quoting a defence source, a report published by a Delhi based newspaper The Print, said that Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) could soon decide on the signing of the contract with the UAE firm, Caracal International, which finished as ‘L-1’ or the lowest bidder in September 2018 for a contract that was supposed to be fast tracked.
The report added that Indian forces will use the weapon from UAE first time. UAE is considered to be one of the largest importers of defence equipment.
When Caracal was shortlisted in 2018, it was seen as more of a diplomatic deal to keep UAE happy rather than a pure military decision.
The carbines will replace the outdated and ageing 9mm British Sterling 1A1 sub machine guns that are in service, the report said.
The report further said that army had had decided to opt for Fast Track Procurement (FTP) of 93,895 new carbines against an overall demand of 3.5 lakh such weapons in 2017 and rest was supposed to be under the “Buy and Make” category.
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